Seahawks’ Thomas Rawls: ‘I love the hurt, I love the pain, I love the grind’

After carrying the football 51 times over the past two weeks, plus three catches out of the backfield, Thomas Rawls admits his body is only feeling “OK” right now. But he doesn’t mind.

“After a 20- or 30-carry game, yeah you’re gonna be sore, but that’s the grind,” Rawls said on 710 ESPN Seattle’s “The Huddle.” “That’s what you sign up for. I got a passion for the game. I love the hurt, I love the pain, I love the grind. And guess what, I’m not the only one that’s hurting. So it’s all about outlasting the next person. So if I can outlast the opponent, that’s a bonus.”

Despite the recent onslaught of carries, the 5-foot-9 undrafted rookie has only 122 rushing attempts on the season. Rawls said he is a “lot better” of a running back now than when he started the season, with his reps helping him understand the blocking schemes and picking up adjustments. He said there’s still “a lot of room for improvement” and that the coaching is allowing him to play to his strengths.

Much like his injured teammate, Marshawn Lynch, he has been seeking contact with each run, saying he tries to “run with a purpose and make a statement.”

“I never want to let the next man think he owns me or you can just do whatever to me,” he said. “There’s a lot of times in games where I may lose a battle, but I’m gonna get back up and try to win the next. And that’s what it’s all about.”

Rawls is set for a thrill Sunday against Minnesota, running parallel to Adrian Peterson, who he called one of his childhood idols.

“The way he finishes runs, the way he just finishes the game, it’s something special, something unique about him,” he said. “And I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”